Why Become the Samaritans
Looking back at the Vietnamese Church's history we cannot stop thanking God because in the beloved land of Vietnam, our ancestors received the seeds of faith from the Western Missionaries since then these roots have germinated and borne fruit by the witness of the lives of the Martyrs and countless people who sacrificed with great Love and Faith to build the Vietnamese Church. Today, we are so proud of the miracles that God has been doing in the Vietnamese Church. This is also an earnest invitation to all, whether you are priests, religious sisters, seminarians, or laity; regardless of who is living in the homeland or abroad, all turn to Mother Church and “Share a Mission with Jesus” to bring the Gospel to the poor, ease the pain, and heal the wounds.
In the Bible, Jesus told us the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37). A person who has overcome the cultural and historical barriers of the nation to be present and help the less fortunate one with love. The Parable of the Samaritan is not only a beautiful passage to meditate upon, but it is an example, a bright picture to help us determine how we live our lives with those around us.
During the past fifteen years, Formation Support for Vietnam has helped many young and enthusiastic priests, religious, and seminarians from Vietnam to come to the United States to study. We often say, "Home is the place our feet can leave, but where our hearts will always be there." Carrying in their hearts a desire to build the Vietnamese Church, these young priests, seminarians and religious in formation have been diligently praying, cultivating knowledge, and accumulating experiences every day in the lecture halls of colleges and universities. So that after finishing their time of study, they return to their homeland of Vietnam, to mission lands to become witnesses of love by their own dedicated lives and apostolic missions in different environments and many other places, and areas not only for the Vietnamese Church but for the universal Church.
You and I, how have we become good Samaritans currently?
We accompany and share with Vietnamese priests, religious sisters and seminarians studying in the United States so that we can all plant the seeds of love in our hearts and hope to bear fruit one day.
Let's follow the path taken by the good Samaritans so that we may find Jesus present in the poor children, the abandoned, the migrants, and the sick.
Let's open our hearts, extend our arms, and embrace our brothers and sisters, especially those suffering, crying, and carrying many wounds.
Indeed, we are all called to respond generously to the call to love most concretely as the Good Samaritan. A miracle happens to people who genuinely love: the more they give, the more they receive. What are you waiting for? Lend us your hands and together we extend our arms to "reach" our brothers and sisters in need!